Oh, HTC. Why do you tease us? For the legions of phone fanatics not located in Russia, the images hosted up in the read link are about as close as you all will ever get to Yota’s HTC MAX 4G. The world’s first GSM + WiMAX handset has been acquired by an evidently affluent individual who reportedly threw down around $1,300 in greenbacks in exchange for this gem. Those familiar with the HTC Touch HD won’t find too many dissimilarities, but we’ll stop bothering you with these “words” and allow you to give the images some careful attention.

[Via wmpoweruser, thanks Daniel]

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC MAX 4G gets a proper unboxing in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve gotten a few decent looks at the LG Prada II in weeks past, but the Daily Mobile Forum has happened upon a veritable treasure chest of views of the device in glorious detail — which, if you didn’t already know — is now on sale in Europe. Lucky devils. We’ve included a few of our favorites after the break, but hit the read link for all 17 (Yes, seventeen!).

[Thanks, Daniel]

Continue reading LG Prada II shows up in exhaustive photo spread

Filed under: Cellphones

LG Prada II shows up in exhaustive photo spread originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Innotech Chevrolet Corvette

The last time we heard the name Innotech was back in 2000 when the independent Czech manufacturer introduced the Mysterro, a quirky supercar with a carbon fiber and kevlar body and a Corvette V8 amidships. While the company planned a production run of 25, only one was ever built and we hadn’t heard from them since. Until now.

Innotech has announced a new styling package for the C6 Corvette with additional upgrade options for the interior, brakes, wheels, suspension and engine. The design has a heavy influence from both classic and modern Italian automobiles, particularly with the front end and the flying buttresses similar to that of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (itself borrowing heavily from vintage Prancing Horses). A speedster will follow shortly, as will Z06 and ZR1 versions. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the high-res gallery below.

[Source: Innotech]

Continue reading Czech it: Innotech does Chevrolet Corvette

Czech it: Innotech does Chevrolet Corvette originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Culture

New York Times gaming correspondent Seth Schiesel recently defied the mold for year-in-review video game wrap-ups — rather than handing out commonplace awards such as “Best Action Game” or “Best Indie Game Fueled by Dew“, his honorable mentions were awarded based on “Best Zombies” (Left 4 Dead, natch) and the fairly inflammatory “Best Explanation of Why Nintendo Hardly Needs Big Games Anymore” (the Wii).

However, at the bottom of his list of odds-and-ends, Schiesel follows the example of Time Magazine and the VGAs, ultimately choosing Grand Theft Auto IV as his Game of the Year. Schiesel was swooned by Rockstar’s crime drama due to its mature writing, which makes GTA IV “one of the few games that even [tries] to take on the real world in any adult way.” Obviously, he’s never heard of a little game called 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand.

NY Times gives Game of the Year honors to GTA IV originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BUG Labs has a special place in our hearts, so it’s actually kind of astounding to look back and realize that we haven’t heard anything substantial from the outfit since March. Big things are in store for the new year, however, and it’s getting things rolling right away with the introduction of the $79 BUGvonHippel. Named after Professor Eric von Hippel at MIT who inspired its creation, the device “further enables developers to create new and interesting ‘hardware mashups’ by connecting their BUG to a universe of other devices and interfaces.” Also of note, there’s a new community portal opening up for eager developers, and the BUG Labs team will be bringing a so-called Test Kitchen to the CES floor in Vegas to show off some of the developments we’ve been missing out on.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

BUG Labs intros BUGvonHippel, talks up big plans for CES originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Safety, Tech, Australia

In the military it’s called “mission creep,” when the quick little job you intended to do turns into something big and ugly. In science, it’s called “progress.” What started out as a quick little way to keep folks from texting while driving has turned into a way to track how and where you drive so that that information can be reported to your insurance agency.

Key2SafeDriving utilizes a wireless transponder attached to your car key, which then communicates with software installed on your cell phone. When you slide the key out of the housing to start the car, the transponder enters “drive” mode and jams the cell phone that it’s paired with, ensuring that the driver is unable to send texts or make phone calls. The transponder is paired with one particular phone, so no one but the driver is affected. That’s the part that is supposed to make a lot of teens safer and a lot of parents happier.

But while the researchers were twiddling with the phone software, somehow they enabled it to keep track of the “vehicle’s location, speed, sudden breaking [sic] and the running of lights.” We have no idea how they managed to get your phone to know when you’ve run a red light or when you’ve stabbed the brakes, but that’s what they’re advertising. The upshot is that your driving data stored in the phone will be matched with a traffic database, and that information will be used to establish a “safety score” that will be sent to your insurance company each week. See how they did that? Teen safety turns into 1984. We think we’ll just turn our phones off when we drive…

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Key2SafeDriving technology enforces phone-free driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung’s NC10 netbook has barely been out long enough to get a footing in the market, and already we’re learning of its natural successor. The NC20 will reportedly hit the ground running in February, and with it will come a 1.3GHz VIA Nano U225 processor, a 12.1-inch display, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet, a 3-in-1 card reader and a 1.3-megapixel camera. The 3.3-pound machine is expected to launch at around $642, which — quite honestly — sounds a touch on the high side to us. Who knows though, maybe that sticker includes a secondary display that we’re just not privy to yet.

[Thanks, Faber]

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung’s NC20 netbook: the predictable successor to the NC10 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Culture

We’re fairly certain that we all now know the many weaknesses of vampires: stakes, crosses, garlic, and obsessive, lonely teenage girls. However, we’re just now starting to figure out the secret to slaying vampire-centric game-to-movie adaptations (namely, Paul W.S. Anderson’s whipless cinematic stab at Castlevania); a force more powerful than holy symbols or tiny, smelly onions — the unrelenting stoppage of work by entertainment labor unions.

Last December, when the writer’s strike had cast a shadow of boredom over the land, the film was indefinitely postponed. Production started back up when said strike ended — but with the entertainment industry currently staring down the barrel of a Screen Actors Guild strike, work on the Castlevania film has been “derailed”. According to an IGN interview with Anderson, future plans for the film won’t be decided until the SAG strike has been resolved.

Also in said interview, Anderson confirms that he’s taken himself off of the Rock-infused Spy Hunter film, due to the script being just as terrible as you’d expect it to be. Unlike Castlevania, which Anderson claims to be quite smitten with and wishes to finish, this is probably the last we’re going to hear of Spy Hunter’s potentially Oscar-worthy silver screen adaptation.

Actor strike threatens Castlevania movie, Anderson drops Spy Hunter movie originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It has been but a matter of hours since we first heard of the Cupcake branch of Android, but the tweaked-for-the-better operating system has apparently already made its way onto Nokia’s Internet Tablets. The latest port of NITdroid is chock full of those sweet, highly fattening Cupcake goodies, and honestly, this whole development makes us cautiously optimistic about where all this is headed. Anyone care to give their N810 somethin’ new to run on? Let us know how it works out.

Filed under: Handhelds

Android-stuffed Cupcake comes to Nokia’s Internet Tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Aftermarket, Gadgets, Tech

Today, on Vaporware Theatre, we present a spiffy-looking navigation system inspired by that other nav rig - the compass. Jeongmin Ok designed the Moto to reflect the sense of accuracy and dependability that some people take away from a compass, deviations from true north notwithstanding. Ok imagines that a 3.5″ touchscreen will display typical navigation views of street data, as well as the compass-like mode.

The die-cast aluminum unit also integrates Bluetooth, a slot for microSD cards, and a camera. After all, when you’re designing conceptual things, it’s all too easy to pack the feature list. Still, it’s a slick-looking gadget, and it would certainly make a spiffy additional distraction in the cabin.

[Source: Designlaunches.com]

Concept Moto Multi nav system takes cues from compass originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments